Love's Burden
by shannyfish
Summary: Sequel to Two Lives. When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.
1. Normalizing

**Title:** Love's Burden

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** Sequel to "Two Lives". When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance

**Characters:** Calleigh Duquesne, Emma Caine (Original Character), Horatio Caine, Sheryl (Original Character)

**Warnings:** none

**Rating:** PG

**Chapter:** 1 "Normalizing"

**Author's Notes: **Although this story isa sequel to "Two Lives", I think it can stand on its own. It doesn't pick up right after where "Two Lives" left off, but not too long after! That's right…I'm writing more than one story at once…it's more like seven…in one stage or another for CSI: Miami.

…………………………………….

Calleigh smiled brightly as she stirred the eggs in the pan, it was part of the day she loved. It was before their nanny, Sheryl, arrived and it was her morning time with Emma. Though, she didn't always see Horatio since he ended up showering and getting ready later than she since she got ready first. They hadn't quite gotten to mastering sharing the bathroom and keeping up privacy. Sometimes she felt like having him just shower with her, but Calleigh wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet… Sharing a bed in pajamas was one thing…jumping to the next step, she still was nervous about.

"Mama!"

Turning around, Calleigh smiled over to Emma, "It's almost done, Darlin'! Mama's just…distracted," she told her daughter and went back to cooking the scrambled eggs. It was nice to be phasing from baby food to regular food. It made shopping easier…and it seemed to make breakfast faster for them all. After she transferred Emma's eggs over to her little plastic plate, Calleigh left it to the side of the stove to cool. She started bacon in one pan and then started another pan of eggs. One thing she had learned about their morning ritual was that Horatio would only sit at the table for a couple minutes, so she had started to make him breakfast sandwiches so that he could be on the go, but also get in a meal.

"How are my favorite girls today?" Horatio asked as he entered the kitchen, straightening his dark blue jacket. He smiled over at Emma when she smiled at him; he felt that they were making progress on her knowing who he was… Horatio was just waiting for her to call him 'dad' and he thought that they'd be perfect. Whenever he'd try, she'd just giggle at him and then stuff a cheerio into her mouth.

Looking over her shoulder to the clock, Calleigh smiled, "Trying to make a record today?" she asked and when she merely received a smile she turned back to the two empty plates next to Emma's plastic pink one. "Alright, family time this morning," Calleigh announced and set Emma's plate down in front of her with a toddler fork. She plated herself some eggs and two pieces of bacon and then made Horatio his breakfast sandwich.

Horatio got up from his seat feeling the need to help. Normally, he took longer and so Calleigh normally had everything waiting for him. "Let me get the coffee," he offered and pulled down two mugs. Though Calleigh hadn't seemed to drink much of it before she had been gone, upon her return she had seemed to need it more. Horatio figured it had to do with having a child. He poured the hot liquid into both cups and then added sugar to Calleigh's. Setting them at their spots on the table, he looked over at Emma. "Do you want Dad to get you a cup, Sweetheart?"

"CUP!"

Calleigh smiled and shook her head, "Don't worry, she'll get it eventually…" Sometimes she felt bad, but then there were times when Emma was just so cute and completely oblivious at her very young age at what he had really wanted her to say.

Putting together the non-spill cups had become one of Horatio's talents. It was nice that Emma wasn't so depend on bottles anymore, but the cups had just as many parts. "Milk or juice?" he asked looking over at Calleigh as she sat down and started to help Emma to eat her eggs.

"Milk. The orange juice I'm still afraid is a bit too acidic for her. I don't want her to give Sheryl a hard time if she gets an upset stomach."

Horatio nodded and poured the milk into the cup and then took it over and set it down on Emma's tray before taking his seat again.

"Morning Lieutenant! Morning Mrs. Caine!" Sheryl greeted. It was almost seven thirty, and she had already stopped by Starbucks and had consumed her morning dose of caffeine on the way over preferring the Starbucks over the Caine household coffee. She flung her bag down on one of the chairs not caring if the laptop inside seemed to argue with the clunk it made.

Horatio smirked over at Calleigh, who had been rolling her eyes. Sheryl knew very well that Calleigh's last name was Duquesne and that they weren't married, but she insisted on addressing her as 'Mrs. Caine'. He was happy though, that that was the one thing that Calleigh didn't like about the young woman. They had done extensive background testing on all of their candidates and how well they would do long term. He watched as Calleigh went back to eating her eggs before he went on to finishing his breakfast.

Setting her key down on the counter, Sheryl got down a bowl and quickly found her cereal in one of the cupboards. Setting it at the table before retrieving the carton of milk and a spoon, she sat down and started to shovel it in. It was part of her morning ritual to eat with the Caines, and Sheryl loved starting her morning off with the Coco Krispies. "Ya know…I was reading this case in my book for an assignment…" Setting down her spoon, she pulled her hair back and up and secured it into a bun with an elastic band before pulling out her laptop. "I was thinking…it would be SO awesome to go on a ride-a-long or something one time."

"I'm sure we can try that one time," Horatio told her after finishing his sandwich and helping Emma with her eggs as Calleigh had before.

Booting her laptop from hibernation, she waited and then continued to eat her cereal. When she realized it wasn't normal for her to be on the computer right away, she quickly put out an explanation, "My one class has to meet online early. The teacher didn't want to cancel our class session in our room, so she re-scheduled for eight…"

One of the things that really worked out for them was the fact that Sheryl attended college strictly online. Once and a while she'd have to drop things off in person, but she'd always be able to take Emma with her. She was also a Criminal Justice major, so they felt like she understood, or she would better so the life that those in the justice system lived. "You gonna be alright then with Emma?"

"Oh yeah, no prob!" Sheryl told her. "Emma here has a gift for art… I personally LOVE her scribble drawings…I have a bunch on my fridge at home, cuz you guys ran out of room here…" She logged into her school's online website to get to the tools pages and the chat rooms. "Oh, and don't worry Lieutenant! I'm trying to teach her 'Dad', but she seems to prefer 'Mama'… Some kids, they just take awhile to learn other words than 'Mom'. I wouldn't worry too much. As long as she doesn't know my name before 'Dad' you should be cool."

Horatio just nodded with a smile. Sheryl was always good entertainment, but sometimes Horatio wondered what she'd do with her life when she got her degree. She was an interesting young woman that was for certain. "We better get going…" Horatio spoke up getting up from his place and putting his dishes into the sink.

"Mama?"

Calleigh frowned at her daughter's sad tone. She hated leaving her, but she had to. Sure, she could stay home as a full time mom with her and sometimes Calleigh was tempted…but it just wasn't something she could completely live with. She spent a good chunk of time though, at least she thought so…she had worked hard to get things done at work and then pass things off if she needed to. She put her dishes in the sink as well before moving over to her daughter. Calleigh gently placed a kiss to Emma's cheek, "Time for us to go to work, Darlin'. You be good for Sheryl." She gave her another kiss before adding, "Mama loves you."

Horatio waited until Calleigh moved before placing a kiss on his daughter's head, "Love you, Emma."

Emma giggled and showed him a cheerio, "Look!"

He smiled and then kissed her head again before following after Calleigh. It hurt him to think that his own daughter didn't know him as her father, but knew that eventually she'd know. But until then, he'd still feel a tinge of jealousy.

"Call us if you need anything, Sheryl," Calleigh called out as she grabbed her purse off the counter and they both headed out.

………………………………………

Horatio sat in his office finishing up paperwork. It was a new part of his routine, it made it so that later in the day he could go home easily. He smiled when he saw Calleigh entering his office. They had gotten into the routine of not knocking or asking permission to enter…and ending up spending time in each other's areas. "Hey…" he greeted with a smile. "Have you called?"

"No," Calleigh responded with a bright smile. "I'm being good…" she told him. "I'll wait until two thirty and then I'll call and check up on Emma…" The first day, she had called every half an hour and then slowly she had gotten down with checking in at some random point in the day. It was usually when she needed a distraction from something…or when she wasn't sure she'd get another break in her day until it was time to go home.

"What do you have?" Horatio asked putting his paperwork aside when Calleigh sat down across from him.

"Nothing work related… I was thinking…about Emma and—" She stopped and then looked down, and then looked back up at him. Calleigh wasn't really sure how to go about what she had planned on talking to him about.

The look on her face scared him. Calleigh had become much happier and confident with life since they had settled in. "What's wrong, Sweetheart?"

"Miller…" she whispered.

He tensed up and frowned, "He's been put away, Calleigh. He can't hurt you or Emma ever again."

"I know that… I was just thinking about how much I lost because of him… We weren't a happy family with Emma…" Calleigh told him. "He took…he took away my confidence, my security, and what felt like my soul… You've given me those things back, Horatio." She leaned forward on his desk, "And I think…I think I'm ready to move on with my life."

The tension that he had suddenly relaxed when he heard the last thing she said. He couldn't help, but smile. "You've already started to move on with your life…"

"Remember when Speed died?" she asked tilting her head as she reached out for his hand. She squeezed it when he took her offering hand. Calleigh knew he didn't have to say anything, they both remembered. "You told me that I saved you…well, you've saved me."

Horatio smiled at her, "Sweetheart, I'm glad you're feeling better—"

"I mean it, Horatio… I'm ready."

They had talked about a lot of things over the last couple of weeks. They had shared a bed, but that had been it. Sharing a bed, fully clothed. Sometimes, Calleigh had needed to be held, but she drawn the rules in everything it seemed. He had wanted it that way. Horatio hadn't wanted to overstep any bounds, or scare her. He hadn't wanted to push her in anyway, but they had discussed moving forward in life…getting married…and sharing their lives together. He had told her that he'd always be there to take care of her and Emma, and that if she was never ready for that step, he'd still be there for them.

She could see the uncertainty in his eyes, and she wished he'd trust her more…but then she also knew that he had been really concerned about her being absolutely sure about being okay with things. Getting up, she rounded the table and leaned against the desk facing Horatio. "Darlin', I promise you…that I'm not going to do anything that I'm not ready for…"

Smiling, he took her hands and ran his thumbs over the tops of them. "So, does this mean you won't be so annoyed when Sheryl calls you Mrs. Caine?" he asked with a smile as he looked up at her.

"We'll see," she told him brightly.

"So, where do we go from here, Ma'am?" he asked looking up at her. Her hands still held by his. He hadn't been making any moves, and he just wanted Calleigh to make the calls to make sure everything was okay.

Rolling her eyes, Calleigh squeezed his hands, "You stop calling me Ma'am." She watched as his smile brightened. "I dunno…we just go on…" She stopped for a minute and looked down at their hands and then back at him, "We've talked about marriage…"

"Yes, we have…" Horatio agreed.

"What do you think?" she asked. "What you want, Horatio…not what you think I want to hear. All you've been doing is stepping carefully on thin ice with me… It's okay to tell me what you want…not want you think I need… We've been going about things slowly…and I'm okay now. I am."

He smiled at her, and then dropped his gaze to their joined hands. Calleigh feeling ready to go on with life more so than currently was something he'd been waiting for, but it felt odd for her to be asking him what he wanted to do. After so many months of making sure what she wanted and needed was taken care of…it was odd for him to make decisions for them both or even voice them. "I want us to be happy together with Emma…" he told her.

"We already are," Calleigh told him, she pulled one of her hands from his hold and raised his face, so that she could see him. "I think we've accomplished that goal."

"I want to marry you…" he finally said.

Calleigh leaned in and captured his lips with hers. She pulled back a bit and whispered, "You'll have to come up with a better proposal than that though."

He laughed softly and heard her giggle as well. "You know that the whole Crime Lab can see us…" he pointed out. Normally, they tried to keep as professional as possible at work, but it was nice to let down that guard once in a while.

"They should know we kiss," Calleigh told him blushing a bit as she pulled back and looked back and saw they had stopped a couple people from their business, but they quickly hurried off. "Oh…we are gonna be the talk of the lab today…"

Horatio smiled, "I don't think I'll mind that…"

………………………………………

TBC…


	2. A Twist in the Family

**Title:** Love's Burden

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** Sequel to "Two Lives". When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance

**Characters:** Calleigh Duquesne, Horatio Caine, Madison Keaton (Other)

**Warnings:** none

**Rating:** PG

**Chapter:** 2 "A Twist in the Family"

**Author's Notes: **none

…………………………………..

Calleigh smiled as she walked back into the Crime Lab, she had been out all day. She hadn't even bothered to check with the front desk originally, being snagged by Frank to go out on a scene. Eric met them there and they actually managed to put the pieces together quite nicely and quickly. Frank had taken them both out to lunch, and she had finally gotten around to making it all the way up to the front desk to check for messages. "Hey," she greeted the desk sergeant, "Do I happen to have any messages?" she asked. Any message there would most likely be from someone who didn't have access to her cell phone and wasn't too important, but she still liked to check.

"Ma'am," the sergeant said quietly. "There's a girl who said she's Lieutenant Caine's niece. She's been here since before I came on duty… I tried reaching the lieutenant, but I haven't managed to get through to him. I was wondering if you could try?"

Their relationship wasn't a secret anymore, and Calleigh simply nodded. "Where is she?" She turned in the direction that the sergeant pointed out. On a small chair behind her against the wall was sitting a girl no older than ten. Calleigh studied her for a minute. The girl had on a light blue t-shirt with a design on it, jeans, and scuffed tennis shoes. Her hair, though, was something that concerned Calleigh more…it matched Horatio's without a doubt. She thanked the desk sergeant and then approached the girl. Was the girl really Horatio's niece or his daughter? As far as she knew, Ray Jr. was the only child Raymond Caine ever had…

She gave the girl a smile before introducing herself, "Hi there, my name's Calleigh. I was told that you're looking for Horatio?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"You're his niece?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And where's your mother?" Calleigh asked trying to assess the situation before she tried calling Horatio. She wasn't sure how Horatio could manage to hide a child from her though. That would have been tricky given their close living arrangements over the last couple of months, but it still made her worry.

"She left."

Calleigh frowned, she wasn't getting anywhere fast with the girl. "How about we go to Horatio's office and call him from there?" she offered. When she merely received a nod, she held out her hand for the child. To her surprise, the girl pulled out a backpack from underneath the chair before taking her hand. Wherever the mother was, she had certainly intended for leaving the child before for at least a short period of time.

As they walked, Calleigh couldn't help but think about if she'd missed clues. If over the past several years she'd worked with him, if she'd missed him having a child… Horatio had always been great with kids, but he didn't have any pictures of any, but Ray Jr. as far as she knew… A mixture of jealousy and worry pitted against each other in her stomach as they entered his office and she motioned to the extra chair for the girl. She was thinking about Emma and how she and her daughter had been Horatio's only concern and how they'd worked so hard to get where they were now… What if this was his daughter? Would that destroy everything they had worked on? Did Horatio love this girl's mother? Was it Ray's daughter? Was she some other relative? She shook her head when she was just confusing herself more and more.

Opening her cell phone, she dialed Horatio's number and waited here. He picked up on the second ring, and Calleigh wondered if it was only because she was calling and he had a feeling it could be urgent. "Hey… I uh…have a girl here…your niece? Dispatch has been trying to get a hold of you for—" Calleigh hadn't even managed to finish when Horatio had told her that he'd be there in ten minutes. Obviously he knew who she was talking about… That had been the briefest he'd been with her on the phone in a long time, and it bothered her.

Looking over at the quiet girl, Calleigh forced a smile. "He'll be here soon."

………………………………..

Ten minutes later, Horatio was hurrying through the Crime Lab to his office where he found Calleigh in his chair and his niece opposite her. He didn't even say anything to Calleigh. He dropped down to one knee and put his attention immediately to his niece. "Hey Madison… What are you doing here? Where's your mom?" Horatio asked and then looked over at Calleigh, suddenly re-aware of her presence in the room. "Would you mind waiting for me outside for a minute?"

Calleigh stared at him for a minute absorbing his words. He wanted her to leave. He wanted to talk to his niece alone… She didn't remember the last time he had so blatantly pushed her away. "Alright," she whispered hurt, and got up and left the office. She heard the door close behind her as she stood with her back to his office. She knew that she could watch if she wanted to…his office was glass…but she knew he'd just be talking to her. Horatio would smile and be gentle and kind and she didn't know what they were saying. Was he hiding something from her? Was he trying to find out what Madison had told her? Did he just not want her to know anything about his niece?

After a couple minutes, she was joined by Horatio, and Calleigh just crossed her arms in response. She felt like she needed to react in some way. She felt like she needed to protect herself from this new invasion in their lives. "Is she your daughter?" she asked quietly, her voice breaking a bit on the last word. It had been hard to get out, but Calleigh needed to know and she wasn't going to beat around the bush for the answers.

He smiled in response and shook his head. He looked downward, but then cast his glance back up to her eyes. "No. She's not my daughter. She's my niece."

"Why is that funny?" she asked a bit uneasy by how amused he seemed.

"Yelina assumed Madison was several years ago, I guess I just appreciate you _asking_… She's Ray's daughter… Her mother has had problems with meth in the past, I believe that she's back to using and that's why she's brought Madison here…"

His face had turned serious and Calleigh nodded, "Did she meet him while he was undercover?" Raymond Caine's 'death' had been something that many in the department were aware of…especially those had been in it at the time. He had been labeled a 'dirty cop' and drug usage was assumed given the undercover job he had been assigned. She watched Horatio as he nodded in confirmation. "She brought Madison here for you to care for?"

"I believe so." He sighed and looked down before looking back up at Calleigh, "I should look for Suzie…see if I can get her to come back… She stayed clean for four years…she did it for Madison…she can do it again."

Calleigh frowned, and realized that now it was her turn to try and help Horatio. He had done so much for her…he took such wonderful care of her and Emma, and now it was her turn to be able to do something for him. "Madison can stay with us, Horatio… We have room," Calleigh told him, she wasn't sure if finding the girl's mother was going to help. If she was an addict, then the best they could do was to take care of Madison. "She can have my room… I really don't use it anymore."

Horatio let out a sigh and put his hands on his hips looking downward again. He had purposefully insisted that Calleigh keep her room, so that that would always be her place in the house. He wanted her to have her own space… "That room is supposed to be your own sanctuary…for you to go to if you need that space…"

"I want Madison to use it," Calleigh told him. She reached out and placed her hand on his arm, "Darlin', I promise you I'm fine… We're both doing better, remember?"

"And Emma, too?" he asked smiling as he looked up at Calleigh. He asked her a lot if Emma was too, and it always got them both to smile.

She laughed, "And Emma, too." Calleigh ran her hand up and down his arm, "Madison's family, too. We can't just abandon her. She needs a real family; she needs someone who's not going to abandon her to go do drugs." Sure, having another child around the house might be hard, but Calleigh was sure she'd figure out how to make things work with Madison, if only for Horatio. "I promise things will be alright," Calleigh tried to assure with a smile.

Though it wasn't the perfect situation, Horatio appreciated Calleigh offering up her space and wanting to help Madison. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Marriage was something they had been discussing, and Calleigh saw no reason for her to have a separate bedroom that she never used if they were ready for the next step. "Thank you," she smiled and leaned forward. Her lips found his, but not for long. She remembered others could see them and that Madison was still in the office.

………………………………….

TBC…


	3. In Need of Family

**Title:** Love's Burden

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** Sequel to "Two Lives". When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance

**Characters:** Calleigh Duquesne, Madison Keaton (Other), Emma Caine (Other), Sheryl (Other)

**Warnings:** none

**Rating:** PG

**Chapter:** 3 "In Need of Family"

**Author's Notes: **Must vent quickly about what has been keeping me from properly writing my lovely stories… First of all, going to school and working full time sucks…and stupid people suck too…especially when you have to deal with them on a daily basis. Also, allergies and sleep deprivation kill my creativity… The Santa Ana winds needa stop. Anyways, I have finished one of the first chapters to one of the next stories… I also made a music vid and after like an hour of figuring out youtube, posted it there. It was entertaining, I don't think good, but I found making it entertaining LOL And writing for Madison is hard I shall tell you this now, since it's been like forever since she's been on the show and it's hard to get a good feel for her.

……………………………

"Are you my aunt?" Madison asked as she sat in the passenger's seat of Calleigh's car. Her uncle had said that he'd see her later, that he had paperwork that he had to finish up. She was curious though, she hadn't been told who exactly Calleigh was, but that she seemed to work with the police, too.

Calleigh had prepared herself for the endless list of questions, and so just kept her eyes on the road. She was sure that Madison had seen them kissing, and kissing certainly led to questions…from children especially. "Not exactly," Calleigh responded trying to think of how to best explain the situation to the child.

"Where are we going?"

She supposed changing subjects was fine was her, it gave her more time to come up with better responses to questions related to her relationship with Horatio. "To the house…" Then Calleigh thought of something that she was sure should be warned about beforehand rather than when they got there. She didn't want the poor girl to be even more confused. "Madison—"

Madison noticed the picture enclosed in plastic on Calleigh's keychain and started to wonder, "Who is that?"

Calleigh let out the breath she had been holding, "That's Emma… She's two." She smiled thinking about her wonderful baby girl, "She's your cousin… We're going to go see her right now. I'm sure Emma and Sheryl will be excited to meet you."

"Is Sheryl your daughter, too?" Madison asked wondering if this Sheryl was maybe her age. She had always wanted a sister, someone to play with and tell secrets to. She had never had a family…not one where she felt safe in.

Laughing, Calleigh shook her head, "No Darlin', Sheryl is our nanny… She takes care of Emma while Horatio and I are at work." Calleigh saw that the house was insight, and figured she'd try to ease confusion that would definitely come from meeting Sheryl. "She calls me Mrs. Caine," Calleigh told the girl. "Even though I'm not married to your uncle."

Madison smiled, "Are you going to get married? Then you'd be my aunt."

Calleigh pulled the car into the driveway and then turned it off. She turned her attention to the girl in the passenger's seat. She allowed herself to smile, and Calleigh wondered if others wondered the same thing. She figured no one at work really touched the subject of their relationship…at least not in front of them. "Yeah…I think we will…" she finally said quietly.

"Can I come?"

"Come where, Darlin'?" Calleigh asked confused as she opened her door to get out.

"To the wedding," Madison responded quietly.

Smiling brightly, Calleigh nodded, "Sure you can. I bet you could even be in the wedding," she told Madison before finally getting out. She knew that Horatio would want family involved…and she was sure that Madison was currently his most accessible family member. "C'mon…we'll go find something to eat," she said crouching down so she could easily talk directly to Madison and then watched as the girl opened her door on the other side. She waited for Madison as the girl closed the door and met her finally on the other side of the car. They walked up towards the front door together and Calleigh held the keys at her side as they did.

They must have been heard; Calleigh thought when she saw Sheryl peeking out the window and then hurry to the door having it open by the time they got there. "Mrs. Caine! You're home early!" Sheryl said happily with Emma on her hip. Sheryl spotted the young girl, and smiled brightly, "And who are you?"

"Madison," she said quietly and clung closely to Calleigh as she eyed the woman oddly.

"This is Horatio's niece, Madison. She's going to be staying with us for a bit," Calleigh told Sheryl and then looked down at Madison, "Don't worry…you get used to Sheryl…she's just had soda."

"Only one can of Mountain Dew so far," Sheryl announced as she moved back to let Calleigh and Madison inside.

"I'm so proud," Calleigh said before taking Emma into her arms and kissing her baby girl. "Did ya miss Mama?" she asked as she walked towards the kitchen, where she dropped her keys down on the counter. She turned Emma so that she could see Madison, "Say hi to your cousin," Calleigh told her daughter.

"Does she walk?" Madison asked looking over her cousin.

"Of course she walks, she's two," Calleigh said with a smile.

"She runs, too!" Sheryl piped up. "It is almost time for our favorite show! Little Einsteins! That's right!"

Calleigh looked at Sheryl oddly, "Isn't it a bit late for Little Einsteins to be on? Isn't it more of the cartoon time on television for the small children?"

"What? TV? Nah… We watch it on my laptop. I've got the episodes downloaded for our viewing pleasure." Sheryl smiled and looked down at Madison, "It's actually some pretty good stuff… _Educational_, even."

"Alright, enjoy…" Calleigh said handing Emma back over the Sheryl after giving her a quick kiss. "I'm gonna show Madison where she's going to stay and then I think we're going to go out and get some things."

"Shopping! We should totally all go! Emma could really use some new clothes. The little turtle is so growing out of her old things." Sheryl bounced Emma around, "Aren't we, Ems? We should find you some turtle clothes! Yes! Can we?"

Calleigh shook her head, she still didn't get why Emma was a turtle… The turtles on _Finding Nemo_ as far as she knew where male… "Ya do know that there's no _Finding Nemo_ store at the mall…"

"The Disney Store," Sheryl reminded. "Just give us a call and we'll get our shoes and hats."

Calleigh watched as Sheryl went over to the couch where her laptop was with Emma. She looked down at Madison, "Looks like we're all going… I suppose that could be fun," she said quietly. "C'mon," she told her and they headed down the hall to her bedroom. Calleigh's original bedroom was quite blank and she figured for now that was good.

"I get to have this room?" Madison asked walking into it. It had a lot bigger of a bed than what she was used to. And it had a nice window with pretty yellow curtains.

"Yep, it's all yours… We can get some stuff at the mall to dress it up if ya like," Calleigh offered wanting to make it more comfortable and kid friendly.

"How long am I going to be staying here?" Madison asked not sure if they needed to go to all that trouble. "I brought some stuff in my backpack…"

Calleigh smiled, "I know you did…but that's only a couple pairs of clothes. As for how long, I'm not sure… Horatio said he's going to try and find your mom."

"Do I have to go back with her?"

The look in Madison's eyes made Calleigh's stomach knot. There was fear and panic there and Calleigh wondered if Madison had to go through a chaotic mess as she had before… "Honey, we're not going to send you back there if it's not safe… You wanna talk about it?"

"I like Uncle Horatio better…he took care of us before mom made us move around and she started to drink and do drugs…" Madison said.

Calleigh kneeled down in front of the girl, "Has she hurt you at all?" she asked wanting to know if there was more that she and Horatio should know. She certainly wouldn't let Horatio place Madison back in the care of her mother if the woman was violent.

Madison shook her head, "No…only one time she pulled my arm hard when I didn't want to go." She frowned, "Can we eat something?"

"Sure…" Calleigh told her with a smile and straightened up. "What would you like?"

"Not cereal… That's all my mom has let me have everyday at night for a long time."

"Only cereal?"

Madison nodded, "Cereal was a dollar at the one store…but we have to have it with water…"

Calleigh sighed, "No cereal then. How about I make you a turkey sandwich and we'll get you a glass of milk and then if you're hungry when we're at the mall we're get something there, alright?"

Madison nodded again and laid her backpack on her new bed. She turned around to see that Calleigh was leaving the room, "Calleigh?"

"Yes, Darlin'?" Calleigh responded turning around at the doorway.

"If Uncle Horatio can't find my mom or it's not safe. Can I stay here?" Madison asked quietly.

Calleigh smiled, "Of course… You're family, Darlin'."

…………………………

TBC…


	4. What's Important?

**Title:** Love's Burden

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** Sequel to "Two Lives". When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance

**Characters:** Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne, Madison Keaton (Other), Emma Caine (Other), Sheryl (Other)

**Warnings:** none

**Rating:** PG

**Chapter:** 4 "What's Important?"

**Author's Notes: **none

………………………………………

Calleigh was asleep on the couch when Horatio made his quiet entrance into the house. He had expected to find the house completely asleep, but instead a single light was on and it looked like Calleigh had been waiting up for him. He sighed, and after gently shutting the door and locking it, he thought a minute about what he should do. Finally, he decided to move her back to bed. He moved the blanket back and stopped when she started to stir. When he saw her eyes flutter open, he said, "I didn't mean to wake you…"

"What time is it?" Calleigh asked sleepily as she started to sit up.

"Late."

"What time?"

Horatio sighed, "Three," he started and then looked around for the clock, "Thirty-seven."

"Horatio…" she said and then sighed as she turned around so that her feet hit the floor. "Horatio, please do not tell me that you didn't miss dinner and the whole night with the girls in order to chase after Madison's mother…" She noticed his quick glance down, and Calleigh closed her eyes before pushing herself up, "They missed you. I told them you were working late. Dinner's in the container on the top shelf of the fridge," she told him as she walked past him.

He waited for her to go past him before following her. He felt bad, but he had things he needed to check on… He had promised to care for Ray's mistakes and Suzie Barton and Madison Keaton were part of them, though the result of the mistake he hardly saw as one. "Calleigh," he whispered, "I'm sorry… I thought I could find her…"

Calleigh turned around in their bedroom doorway, "And how many dinners are you going to miss to go look for her when she doesn't even want to be found?" Though tired, Calleigh was quite awake, alert, and knew exactly what she was saying. She rubbed her face and wondered if Horatio had forgotten why they had cut back their work hours… They had agreed to be parents…

"I had to try," Horatio defended. "I promise…I won't miss anymore dinners…"

"Promise?"

"Yes," he told her with a smile and repeated, "I promise."

Calleigh sighed and wrapped her arms around him, putting her head on his shoulder. "We missed you… I missed you…"

He brought his hand up to her back and lowered his face to her hair. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart…"

"I just want you to see what's important..." Calleigh pulled back to look at him in the dark. She could see his smile, it wasn't full…it was just barely there…but she could still recognize it. "Emma, Madison, and I are here now… Horatio, the girls are important… Madison was so excited to help make dinner for you…and you never showed up. Sheryl was even all excited for you to show up…"

"Sheryl?"

"It's a surprise…so now you haveta wait," she told him. "Go on and eat your dinner… I'll see you in the morning…" she told him before leaning in to press her lips against his.

………………………………………

"So, am I going to school today?" Madison asked and then crunched her toast as she bit into it. She looked over at Sheryl, who was typing away on her laptop. Sheryl was supposed to be looking up nearby schools…and she was excited to be part of the everyday in that house hold. It had been a while since she'd gotten to get new things and to take a shower as much as she wanted and to have eggs and toast…

Calleigh smiled as she turned from feeding Emma to look over at Madison, "I told ya that you were… It's just a matter of finding the right place," Calleigh told her. She wasn't sure if Horatio had a certain idea on the situation…public or private, but Calleigh just wanted it to be somewhere Madison would feel comfortable. Sheryl had already said it would be no problem to pick up Madison whenever they needed.

"I've got a good list… I even have a chart!" she told them. "You know…like if one school has a special program…we can just see it really quick cuz it's on the chart."

"Good organization, Sheryl," Calleigh said giving kudos. "That's a very important skill for a police officer or a CSI…even a lawyer…"

Sheryl smiled proudly and then got up and filled her glass up with orange juice. Today was pajama day. Once a week she'd show up in pajamas and just spend the day like that. It was still doable to run around town in them, they were just super comfy. She poured Madison some more juice and smiled down at her, "You're gonna be great, Kiddo! You'll see! Now where's the lieutenant? He's so running behind schedule," she noted aloud.

"He should be out soon… Sometimes we have bad days and we run behind," Calleigh tried to shrug it off. She didn't want to make a big deal out of it, even though that was one of the times she liked to make family time…but Sheryl had even beat him to the house and breakfast. But she had gotten to spend some great time with Emma feeding her breakfast and getting her up and then with Madison helping her do her hair and pick out what to wear to school. It was a nice mommy morning. Calleigh liked to know that she was good at things other than being a CSI, guns, and bullets…

"Why don't Ems and I go and watch our_ Little Einsteins_?" Sheryl offered so that Calleigh could get some breakfast, too. She turned the laptop around, so that Calleigh could have access to the school information she had pulled up.

"Oh, aren't you pretty this morning," Horatio said as he leaned down and kissed the top of her niece's head. He went over and poured himself a cup of coffee and then walked over and sat next to Calleigh kissing her cheek. "What are we looking at?" he asked.

"Schools for Madison," Calleigh told him. "She has to go to school, Horatio… I wasn't sure if you preferred a certain type…so Sheryl researched a range in the area."

"Private," Horatio responded. He pointed to one of the screen. It was Christian, but had heavy academic and arts and he thought that it would help her grow. "That one looks pretty good."

"That one's gonna require a uniform," Calleigh noted.

"Does that mean I can't go today?" Madison asked disappointed.

Horatio frowned; he knew that they had obviously thought of schools the day before and that Madison could be in school if he hadn't come home so late. "How about we go and look at the school and you can see if you like it? Then we can get you enrolled and see about uniforms. Maybe you can start tomorrow?" he offered.

"Are you going to take me to school today?" Madison asked.

He could see her eyes twinkling and he knew that he'd have to make it up to her…and Calleigh about the day before. "I think that's a good idea."

"Really?"

"Really," Horatio confirmed. He smiled at her before looking over at Calleigh, "Can we talk?" he asked knowing that he'd messed up with pretty much everyone in the house and he'd been waiting to talk to her about something…and now seemed like the best time. She nodded, and he took her hand and helped her to her feet before leading her back to their bedroom. He shut the door and turned to her, "You got her new things…"

Calleigh nodded, "She was so excited about it…I thought she was gonna burst. It was just some little things, but you should have seen her face, Horatio…"

"She's happy," Horatio said. "That's why you don't want me to find Suzie…"

"You didn't hear the things she told me," Calleigh told him, her tone turning from happy to serious as she took a step from him. She went over what Madison had told her…how soap wasn't something that she'd used for a while, how she'd only eaten cereal…and with water, and how she hadn't been to school in months.

Horatio had wanted to believe that Suzie would be able to care for Madison, but now it was their turn…their turn to be the family that Madison needed and wanted… "You're right…we should focus on our family…" He smiled and pulled her towards him and kissed her forehead, "Family is so special."

"It's the most important thing, Horatio."

Horatio had thought about how to propose to Calleigh…he and Sheryl had picked out the ring…it had just been that the timing had always seemed odd, but he kept it with him. He was about to pull it out and finally propose when he heard knocking and the door swing open.

"Is it time to go to see the school now?" Madison asked excitedly.

Bowing his head a bit, he smiled. "In a minute…" He kissed Calleigh, "I love you." He told her to make sure she knew that… "I'll see you at work? I'll call you when I'm on my way to see where you are."

"Alright. Good luck with the schools."

…………………………………

TBC…


	5. Bumps

**Title:** Love's Burden

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** Sequel to "Two Lives". When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance

**Characters:** Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne, Madison Keaton (Other), Emma Caine (Other), Sheryl (Other)

**Warnings:** none

**Rating:** PG

**Chapter:** 5 "Bumps"

**Author's Notes: **none

………………………………….

A week had passed and Madison was very happy going to school like a normal kid. She liked having Sheryl pick her up and how they'd hang out and have fun with Emma. It was the family she had always wanted… And even though some of the kids had made fun of her for living with her uncle and having red hair, Madison knew that life there was far better than the life she had been living with her mother. Those kids at school didn't know anything.

"C'mon, Madison!" Calleigh called as she rubbed her face in the kitchen trying to finish breakfast. Her morning was not going well. Horatio had yet to come out after running out at two in the morning, and he wasn't picking up his cell phone. Sheryl was running late. And Calleigh swore that Emma was getting sick. She was used to running the house as a team, so that no one person was loaded down with caring for two kids and trying to make meals. Madison had to be to school in twenty minutes, and it was a fifteen minute drive, but she hadn't put together a lunch for her and she hadn't finished breakfast for her…

Emma's crying pulled Calleigh from making breakfast. She turned off the stove and put the eggs next to the two pancakes on Madison's plate before setting it on the table. She hurried down the hall towards Emma's room and quickly picked up her unhappy baby. "It's alright, Darlin'," Calleigh tried to soothe. She hadn't slept much because Emma had been up crying most of the night. She was going to call the doctor and make an appointment, but that was just one of the things she hadn't gotten to. The sound of glass hitting the floor made Calleigh jump and before she could check it out, Madison came crying to her.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to break it!" Madison said through her tears.

Calleigh sighed, and tried to keep the tears back. "It's alright…it's not your fault…" she said sinking to the carpet and pulling Madison with her. She pulled the girls close and let herself cry. She didn't do it too often now, but she felt the need to. So, they all cried together in the nursery room on the floor clinging together.

Sheryl came to the nursery confused and slightly worried. She had been surprised to see no one at the table in the kitchen and then to find spilled juice and broken glass all over the floor. The sound of crying had drawn her further into the house. "What's going on?" she asked quietly nearing the group.

"I tried," Calleigh swore her voice cracking a bit, "To get things going, make breakfast, get lunch, and take care of Emma…but…I think Emma's sick and Madison needs to be to school…"

"No prob, I'll get her there…" Sheryl assured. She pulled the Tylenol infant drops from one of the drawers. "I always give her this if she seems sick…or uncomfortable. Usually helps, just read the directions on the back and I'll be back soon." She approached them and untangled Madison and handed her a tissue as she hurried her out towards the kitchen, "I'll clean up the mess when I get back, but work on breakfast, Kiddo."

Throwing down lots and lots of paper towels in strategic positions, Sheryl tried to get the start of the taking back of the kitchen going, "Stay away from the glass," she instructed Madison and then went back down the hall to check on Calleigh. It wasn't like her to be so upset, but Sheryl also knew that there could be several reasons for that. She personally liked to always take in account hormones or it being that time of the month. She peeked in to see that Calleigh had moved up to the rocking chair with Emma and was giving her the Tylenol. "How we doing, Calleigh?" she asked as she slowly re-entered the nursery.

"I didn't make Madison lunch, yet," Calleigh said wiping away tears. She hated looking weak, but she knew sometimes it couldn't be avoided. Emma was still upset, but she seemed to be more interested in her thumb in her mouth rather than crying at the moment.

"No prob, there's this thing called uncrustables. They will make your life so much easier. They live in the fridge," she informed her with a nod.

Calleigh noted to figure out what Sheryl was talking about later…and then she realized that she hadn't called her 'Mrs. Caine' like she normally did. Maybe the young woman was having mercy on her. "Thanks…"

"No prob. We all need our breakdowns…"

………………………………….

"What are you doing here?" Sheryl asked when Lieutenant Caine walked into the house at two in the afternoon. "You weren't here this morning…"

Horatio was going to go make coffee, when he realized sleeping was going to be his best option. "I was out looking for Madison's mother this morning… I found her, but she wouldn't come back with me to get straight."

Sheryl sighed and shook her head, "No wonder it looked like a hurricane ran through this house this morning and all hell broke loose." She was happy that at least Emma was down for a nap; otherwise the toddler would want her daddy since she wasn't feeling so great.

"What do you mean?"

"Calleigh was in the nursery with the girls and they were all crying. Madison ended up being late to school… When I got here there was breakfast made, but no lunch for school and there was broken glass and orange juice all over the floor."

"What?" Horatio stopped and then looked down at his cell phone. The battery had died. He sighed knowing that Calleigh had tried to contact him, and he hadn't thought to call her. "Where is she?"

"At work," Sheryl said with a shrug. "She doesn't listen to me. I told her if she stayed up all night with Emma because she's sick that she deserves to take a nap at least before going into work. Maybe she'll calm down when she finds out that Emma has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Doctor says to just keep an eye on her and give her Tylenol until we get in."

He needed to stay awake for a bit longer… "Are you picking up Madison from school?" he asked as he rested his hands on his hips, his wrinkled jacket held back behind his hands, and his badge shining a bit outward. His gaze focused on the floor that was obviously completely cleaned from the shine that was coming from the tile.

"Yep, picking her up in an hour and a half," Sheryl reported. "Dinner's gonna be ready around six. It would be nice if everyone was home and at the table at the same time." She hoped that was a big enough hint for the lieutenant. If not, she'd spell it out for him another time.

"Thank you," he said before quickly exiting the house and heading for his vehicle.

……………………………..

Calleigh sighed when she heard Horatio's footsteps behind her. She knew they were his, she'd come to bring distinction between foots falls. "I don't wanna hear it!" she called before she started to fire at the target ahead of her. She was tired, and had been dosing her system with caffeine in order to stay awake and try to do her job. Everyone had asked her where Horatio was, and Calleigh hadn't been able to give them an answer. Hell, she wanted an answer. It was just downright frustrating. After the rounds were expended, she didn't have anything else to cover Horatio's voice and glared at the target a minute before taking ammunition unit out of the gun and laying it on the table. She removed her protective glasses and ear covers before turning to him with her arms over her chest. "You look like hell."

He allowed a tiny smile to appear, "I'm sorry my phone died… I found Suzie, but she refused to come back… I was trying to at least get her clean, Calleigh…"

"I thought you weren't going to look for Suzie anymore," Calleigh tried to clarify. "Horatio, Madison's happy…except for this morning. No one was happy this morning…"

Horatio sighed, "I felt I needed to."

"I felt like you needed to be home to help me with our sick daughter…and to help me get the girls up and ready this morning," Calleigh countered. "Sheryl got stuck in traffic and I ended up having a breakdown in the nursery… She even called me by my name, so you know she felt bad."

"Calleigh—"

"Have you even asked Madison if she wants her mother back in her life?"

"I gave her my card and our address on the back if she wanted to get clean again," Horatio told her. "She did it once…I was just hoping she'd do it again…"

"You can't save everyone, Horatio," Calleigh told him. "Maybe this is just one of those times."

Horatio nodded, "It's her move now." He had to at least try to help Suzie. It didn't seem right if he didn't at least try. Suzie was still family, and family meant everything…but he had done all he could… He tilted his head to look at her directly and frowned, he could see the worry and lack of sleep in her face. "Sweetheart, why don't you go home and sleep for a while?" he offered.

"I just need coffee…" she told him brushing it off. "If anyone should be sleeping, it should be you. I'm sure even with Emma, I had more sleep than you did." She felt his hand take hers and unwind it from her position. Calleigh didn't stop when Horatio started to lead her away to a nearby chair.

"Sugar, right?" he asked as he watched her sit down.

"Right," she responded with a small smile and waited as he left to get her coffee. She was sure he needed a cup also. They needed a vacation…away from Miami. When he returned, she took her cup and sipped it for a minute before throwing out the idea. "What do you think about a vacation?" she asked. The only thing with a vacation was that if they wanted any time alone, they'd have to take Sheryl along to watch the girls.

"It sounds like a good idea…for everyone," he agreed with a smile.

"Away from Miami…away from Florida," Calleigh quickly added. She saw the smile fall from his face and sighed, "Horatio, I don't want to be on call or worry that you're going to go after Suzie at two in the morning… It should be family time…us time even… We've been talking about marriage and having a life together, but I can't live with you running out the door and not knowing what's going on."

"Alright," he gave in. "I'll talk to Frank and make sure the lab will be covered."

Calleigh smiled brightly and set her coffee down before wrapping her arms around him getting up out of her chair and whispering into his ear, "Thank you…"

…………………………

TBC…


	6. A Step in the Right Direction

**Title:** Love's Burden

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** Sequel to "Two Lives". When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance

**Characters:** Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne, Sheryl (Other)

**Warnings:** none

**Rating:** PG

**Chapter:** 6 "A Step in the Right Direction"

………………………………..

Neither had slept, but they had all been together for dinner. Sheryl had stayed and they had all had the dinner that they had missed, which had been nice for everyone. Once the kids were put into beds, Sheryl left and Calleigh and Horatio shut down the house section by section. Horatio sat on the edge of the bed as he started to disrobe, he thought about how Calleigh had wanted a vacation. He had set up to have time off, a week…which really wasn't much for how long he and Calleigh had been working for the police department in Miami-Dade. His back was to Calleigh, but he could hear her shuffling around and knew she was probably thinking about the same things he was. The vacation. It involved being away from work and Miami in general… He finally spoke up, breaking the silence, "Do you have something in mind for this vacation?"

"Somewhere away…but I want the girls to be able to do somethin', too. I don't want to go into isolation and have them completely bored…" Calleigh explained as she pulled on her pajamas. "I want to be away from the cities though… I dunno… I guess I haven't thought it completely through yet…"

Horatio sighed, and as he continued to strip from his clothes and change, he wished that they weren't fighting… Of course, it was really the repercussions of the fighting before, but it still hurt and felt the same. It made him feel like he had failed Calleigh and the girls and he didn't want that. He wanted to be there for them, he had promised them that he'd be there… "What if we went somewhere for the girls and then went somewhere else for the rest of the vacation?" he asked as he tiredly sat on the edge of the bed rubbing his tired eyes.

Turning, Calleigh crawled across the bed and wrapped her arms around him while resting her chin on his shoulder. "And where would we go?" she asked sleepily. She was exhausted and she knew he was. Sheryl had commented to them both about their eye whites needing to be white in the morning instead of red.

"How far do you want to go?"

"As far away as possible."

He smiled a bit and turned around din her arms, "How…about we take the girls to California to the parks there, and then…we go up North to a cabin somewhere?" he offered. "Northern California or Oregon or Washington even…" It was definitely far away from Miami, and Horatio knew it was going to be odd for him, but he knew people would keep in touch through cell phones and e-mails.

"Mmm sounds nice… Are we taking Sheryl?" she asked wanting to share the decision.

Horatio lay back onto the bed, carefully pulling Calleigh with him. He stared up at the ceiling thinking about it all, "I suppose if we want time alone that Sheryl could be helpful with that…if she wants to come, of course." He smiled when Calleigh moved her head to his chest and kept her tight hold. Reaching down, he pulled the bed covers up over them, and reached out to turn off the bedside lamp. "When do you want to leave?"

"Day after tomorrow, if we can. Tomorrow Emma has a doctor's appointment, and I really want to go with her to it." She sighed, "I don't wanna seem like the uncaring parent, and I wanna hear for myself about what to do for Emma."

Kissing her forehead, he frowned. He had wished that he could have been there for her and Emma that night… Horatio hadn't wanted Calleigh to feel like he wasn't there for her… He didn't want her to feel like she was stuck being Abigail Lewis again. "I'm sorry I wasn't here last night…"

"I know…"

He heard her yawn and kissed her forehead again, "Sleep…we'll figure out things and make arrangements in the morning." When he felt her nod against his chest, he sighed and looked up at the ceiling wondering if he could make things up to them by the vacation and just having family time.

……………………………

Calleigh and Sheryl returned home with Emma around one, and were surprised to find Horatio still home. She had thought he'd be making arrangements via his cell phone from work. After all, it wasn't exactly easy for Horatio to pull himself away from work, especially on such short notices. "You're still here?" she asked curiously and walked over to him with Emma in her arms and kissed him lightly.

"I wanted to see what the doctor said about Emma…and I got some things ready," Horatio told her with a small smile. "What did the doctor say?"

"She's teething and running a fever off and on most likely from it," Calleigh explained as she looked at Emma, whose head had found her shoulder. "Apparently teething is something that can go on for a couple years…but just not continuously or I don't think anyone could bear it." She kissed the top of Emma's head before continuing, "He said to continue using the Tylenol drops and then to get some Baby Orajel and some teething toys and she should feel a bit better…" She smiled, "It's on the list for the store later."

"Good," he said and then held out his arms, "You wanna come to Daddy, Emma?" Horatio was still working on the Daddy bit, but he was sure that Emma was far more attached to Calleigh than him. He watched as his little girl held her arms towards him, and smiled as Calleigh handed her over. Holding Emma to his chest, he watched her as she became comfortable and stuck her thumb back into her mouth.

"She'll get it," Sheryl told him before walking further into the house.

Calleigh smiled, "So, what things are ready?" she asked curiously as she set the diaper bag down on the kitchen table. She was excited about getting away, though she and Sheryl had discussed the need for shopping since they'd need warmer clothes for everyone.

"We have tickets…" he told her. "To California, to take the girls to Disneyland for two days. I've already booked the hotel. We'll be right there, so it'll be easy to go back and forth for us all."

"How many rooms did you book?" she asked semi-testing him. She wasn't sure what kind of set-up he thought was necessary, but she liked to check. She liked to be in control, and when she wasn't she liked to check things.

"Two…and have a port-a-crib also ordered for the stay. I wasn't sure which room we'd want Emma to stay in, so I just put it with ours…the rooms are connecting, so it'll be easy on us all I think." Horatio tilted his head, "And then, we'll fly up to Washington…that's far enough away from here, right?" He saw Calleigh's smile brighten at his comment. "They have some cabins up there, they're away from the big cities, but not too far from each other and the main station in case we need anything or there's any kind of emergency."

"Nicely done…" Calleigh commented and leaned in to kiss him again, this time deepening it. When she finally pulled away, she saw Emma just staring at them, and gave her a quick kiss, too. "Sheryl and I need to get some shopping done for the girls and—"

He nodded and then smiled down at Emma, "Why not let me take care of Emma? I can pick up Madison, too, to give you more time."

"You still don't know how to strap the car seat into your car," Calleigh reminded him with a small smile. They had teased that it took rocket science, since she hadn't figured out how to get it in the right way. Alexx had helped them, and then when they had gotten the new one because Emma was bigger, Sheryl had taken care of fastening it into Calleigh's car and her own. "We'll pick up Madison, so she can pick out her own things… I think it'll be fun for her. Plus, she could use more clothes than what we had originally bought if she's going to be here for a while…"

"Alright," Horatio responded, "Well, Emma and I are going to have some fun home then. Maybe take naps."

Calleigh smiled, "It would probably be good for both of you." She smiled and watched as Sheryl went around them and went about getting her things together, before turning back to Horatio. "You know this means a lot to me, right? To all of us even…"

"I know," Horatio told her.

Breathing in, she smiled brighter and wrapped her arms around him and Emma and kissed them both again before releasing. "I'll have my cell, so if you need anything…"

"I'll call."

…………………………….

TBC…


	7. Not All Happy Campers

**Title:** Love's Burden

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** Sequel to "Two Lives". When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance

**Characters:** Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne, Sheryl (Original Character), Madison Keaton (Other)

**Warnings:** none

**Rating:** PG

**Chapter:** 7 "Not All Happy Campers"

…………………………………..

"This is gonna be a long flight," Calleigh mumbled when Emma got upset just from going through TSA checkpoints. The doctor had given them some medicine to give to her to ease the pain, but Emma was still not a happy camper. Calleigh felt horrible, and wondered all of the sudden if traveling with a little one was a good idea. She held Emma close as they headed for the terminal. She was at least happy that they'd have pre-flight boarding priority having a little one. "Next time we should just drive," she told Horatio.

Smiling, Horatio carried along the car seat for Emma, which he swore weighed more than his daughter. Calleigh really needed the vacation and her unusual grumpiness was a testament to that. He looked over at Sheryl, who was walking with Madison nearby who just smiled back at him. "It was your idea to go as far away from Miami as possible, Sweetheart."

"Oh! If we drive somewhere on a vacation next time, we should SO take the Hummer! That is SO cool! I mean, it's goldish and that's usually so not my color, but it totally works… Plus, show up somewhere with 'Crime Scene Investigator' stamped on the side of your car door and you get all kinds of perks," Sheryl voiced excitedly.

"Do I get to come, too?" Madison asked. She was so excited. She didn't remember ever going on a vacation. Sheryl and Calleigh had taken her to the store the day before and bought her all kinds of fun clothes. She had enough to fill all the drawers in the dresser in her room along with mostly fill her closet. She remembered her uncle saying something about overkill, but she loved it! She felt like she belonged there.

"Of course ya do, Darlin'," Calleigh said trying to take breaths to calm. "You're family," she said looking back over her shoulder at the eight year old. She smiled trying to think about how much fun it would be when they were finally there. Madison had lit up when they had been shopping and then more so when Horatio had told her that they'd be going to Disneyland. The poor girl had lived in Florida for a while and had never even been to the Disney World there. Calleigh thought that if you were a resident and a child that it really was something that they needed to do once.

Horatio walked ahead of Calleigh when they neared their terminal check-in point and had all the tickets and forms of ID needed out. He talked with the woman who gladly accommodated their early boarding. He had to explain that they were both law enforcement and that settling in would ease his 'wife's' nerves, and flash his badge, but it was well worth it.

After about ten minutes, they were on the plane, and the car seat had been strapped in. Sheryl even gave Horatio and Calleigh a quick tutorial on car seat strap-in, so that perhaps they'd be able to do it later. Emma was next to the window (since that's where they wanted small children), and then Calleigh and Horatio were next to her. Behind them, Madison and Sheryl shared the row. Horatio had ordered an extra seat, just so that they wouldn't be cramped at all and no one odd would be sitting next to any of his girls. He checked on Madison and Sheryl who were both listening to Sheryl's iPod, before turning back to Emma and Calleigh. He noticed that Emma had calmed down and was drinking a sipper cup with water in it. Reaching over, he took Calleigh's hand and smiled at her. "You okay?"

Nodding, Calleigh sighed and leaned back against the seat. "Shoot me next time I decide to do this," she told him. She felt his arms pulling her over, so that her head was on his chest and her head tucked under his chin. It felt nice, and she was starting to feel a bit better. She just hated Emma being so upset and uncomfortable; it made her feel helpless and it resurfaced the memory of when Miller used to lock her in the closet and she couldn't get to Emma.

He kissed her forehead and held her close, happy that the arm rests lifted and they didn't need to be buckled in just yet. "It'll be over soon enough," he told her. "And you'll forget you said that once we've started the vacation." Horatio smiled and stroked her hair lightly, he was happy that they were doing this…that they were going away…and pretty much work was forcibly taken away for that time.

The lab would survive without them for a week…

……………………………..

Almost eight hours later, and they were in Anaheim, California at the Disneyland Resort. They had taken a shuttle there, and Horatio had already arranged for the shuttle to return them to the airport when they needed to leave. Their rooms were all ready and perfect at the Grand Californian Hotel that was connected to Disney's California Adventure park and the Downtown Disney District. Horatio walked out onto the balcony to find Calleigh there, leaning against the railing and looking down at all the people, he walked up behind her. "Was it worth it?" he asked quietly.

Smiling, Calleigh turned around, "Very worth it."

Horatio closed the distance between them and smiled, "I'm glad… Sheryl and Madison are next door bouncing on the beds. So, it seems everyone's doing okay." He leaned in and let his lips brush hers, "You're doing okay, right?"

Giggling against his lips, Calleigh nodded a bit before responding, "Yes… I'm okay. I'm happy."

"That's what I wanted to hear," Horatio told her before deepening the kiss this time.

…………………………..

"Uncle Horatio! It's time to wake up! The park opens at eight!" Madison said as she quickly ran into her uncle and Calleigh's room. Madison had already gotten dressed and was all set to go, and had already woken up Sheryl, who had gotten into the shower.

Horatio opened his eyes, and then realized he really wasn't ready for the vacation if it included all the screaming and bouncing that his niece was doing. "Hey, hey…we don't want to wake Emma," he told her sighing a bit as he carefully moved Calleigh to her pillow and sat up. "The park will be open until midnight and we have two whole days…" he explained as he got out of bed and started to walk her into the adjoining room. Sheryl and Madison were sharing the one room, while he and Calleigh shared the other with Emma. He closed the adjoining door and went over to the room service menu by the phone in that room. "How about we start with ordering breakfast for you and Sheryl and then we'll go from there?" he suggested. He knew that he and Calleigh could use a bit more sleep.

"But you're not getting dressed," Madison pointed out.

He smiled and ran his hand through his hair. "Emma's still not feeling well with those new teeth coming in. I already have the tickets and everything ready. I thought that maybe you'd be okay with going with Sheryl and then Calleigh and I would meet up with you once Emma's up and we've given her medicine to make her feel better. Is that going to be alright?"

Madison nodded, "I guess there are rides that Emma can't go on because she's a baby." It made sense, and it wasn't like he was saying no… "But you'll go on rides with me later?"

"Yes, I'll go on rides with you later…and…I'll need yours and Sheryl's help for a secret later."

"A secret?!" Madison practically screamed.

Horatio laughed lightly, "Shhh… Later. Okay?" he said with a smile. "Now, how about a nice big breakfast for my girls?" He held out the menu so that Madison could see, too and started to look it over.

"Awww, so sweet! I'm included in the family!" Sheryl said as she stepped out of the bathroom with wet hair. She was already in jean capris and a teal tank top. She dried her dark hair with a towel as she neared them. "So, the kiddo woke you up, too, huh?"

"We made a deal, right?" Horatio said looking over to Madison.

"We're going to go and then they're going to meet us," Madison told Sheryl. "After breakfast."

"I could use some coffee," Sheryl told Horatio.

Horatio nodded and lifted the phone as he'd figured out what to order the two. He ordered helpings of eggs, pancakes, and fruit for the two plus orange juice and coffee. He wanted to make sure that they were well cared for on the trip and that they'd all remember it. "Yes, go ahead and charge it to the room. Thank you," Horatio said before hanging up.

"Okay, food is coming," he told Madison and then looked up at Sheryl, "And coffee." He got up and headed towards his bedroom, "Wait here…" He hadn't thought about this all before hand or else he'd have had things planned out a lot better. He brought back a small bag that fit in his hand, "You have your cell phone, right?" he asked Sheryl and when he got a nod he went on. He handed the bag to Sheryl, "Here's a camera for you two, there's a memory card in it, so that you can take…quite a lot of pictures. There's also a credit card in the pocket, so if you two need some things go ahead of use that. The tickets for the parks are also in the pocket."

"Thanks so much, Uncle Horatio!" Madison said excitedly and hugged him tightly.

He returned the hug and found himself being hugged by Sheryl as well. At least they were happy. "Alright, you two have a good morning and we'll call to meet up with you later, okay?" He handed Sheryl a five to tip room service when they got there before going back over to the other room and closing the adjoining doors.

…………………………………

Hours later, Horatio awoke again before Calleigh. He didn't want to wake her; she deserved to sleep in peace. He noticed though that Emma was awake and went to the adjoining room with her and called for room service. He figured if room service delivered to Sheryl and Madison's room that he could surprise Calleigh. He ordered a full breakfast selection along with coffees and orange juices for them both.

Going back into the other room, he got into Emma's bag and pulled out a set of clothes and a diaper. He changed Emma quietly in the port-a-crib and got her all cleaned up before finishing it off with putting her shoes on her. "There we go, Sweetie," he said before picking her back up. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out some of the baby foods Calleigh had packed for her along with the Cheerios that were there. Going back to the other room, he sat there feeding Emma and getting some of the food on his pajamas and waited for room service.

Luckily, he managed to get Emma fed by the time food service arrived. He tipped the man and then got things ready. He put Emma back into the crib with a couple toys to keep her occupied and then moved the trays to the bedside tables and started to sip his coffee. Usually the smell of coffee woke Calleigh, and so he figured she'd rouse without his prodding. Surely enough, she started to wake on her own, he watched as she stirred and then her eyes slowly opened. He smiled as he watched her. She was so beautiful and whenever he made a comment to the effect, she always brushed it off, but she always blushed. "Morning, Beautiful," he greeted and sat on the edge of the bed and leaned down and kissed her. He smiled as he pulled back, breaking the kiss. It was a great way to start…or in his case…re-start the morning.

"Mornin'," she greeted with a matching smile. "It's awful quiet," she commented as she spied her cup of coffee on her bedside table along with orange juice and food. He'd obviously already been busy.

"Sheryl and Madison have already had breakfast and are in the park. I told them we'd call them once we were ready to meet them," Horatio reported, "And Emma's been fed and changed…"

Calleigh sat up and started to sip her coffee. "Thank you," she told him as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She watched as Horatio moved the trays to the small table in their room before she got up and went over to join them. It was nice to have quiet time. She sat down at the table and waited until he sat down, too, before started to pick at the food. It was still hot, so at least he hadn't waited too long.

………………………….

TBC…


	8. Surprise, Surprise

**Title:** Love's Burden

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** Sequel to "Two Lives". When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance

**Characters:** Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne

**Warnings:** none

**Rating:** PG

**Chapter:** 8 "Surprise, Surprise"

……………………………..

Horatio had spent most of the afternoon with Madison once they met up, while Calleigh and Sheryl took Emma on the little kiddie rides. During the early evening, they had all headed back to the hotel room. Calleigh had ended up lying down with Emma a while, giving Horatio the perfect time to work on part of the secret with Madison and Sheryl.

"She'll love it, Lieutenant," Sheryl told him with a bright confident smile.

"Don't call me that, besides…we're on vacation."

"And what am I supposed to call you?"

"Horatio…H… Just not, Lieutenant," Horatio told her.

"I like H, that's cool," Sheryl said enthused.

Horatio just smiled in response and had the girls help him with the secret project. Madison he thought was the most excited out of the two, and he thought that maybe Calleigh was right about just making her part of their family. After all, Suzie had abandoned her and if they wanted to…they could adopt her. But that would be something to consider another day. Tonight was going to be Calleigh's night…and he was happy that neither of the girls were disappointed about not going back to the parks for the night. They were planning on room service and watching fireworks from their balcony, so at least they didn't miss everything.

He got things together and wrapped up the surprise for Calleigh. There were still a few things he needed to get and make sure were ready and arranged, but he was lucky to have two helpers that could cover for him until he got back. "Girls, I'll be back in a while… If you absolutely need me, or Calleigh wakes up and needs me… Just call me, okay?"

Sheryl nodded, "No prob. We've got you covered, H."

………………………..

Horatio returned and found that Calleigh was still asleep with Emma on their bed. He went into the bedroom and slide in behind her, wrapping an arm around her and Emma. At least she was sleeping, he thought. He really didn't want to wake her, but he had plans… Moving her hair to one side after a minute he started to gently kiss her neck. "Calleigh," he whispered before going back to kissing. The least he could do was make the wake up process gentle and loving, that way Calleigh wouldn't be upset in any way. When she started to stir, he smiled as he stayed close. "Sweetheart," he whispered and placed another kiss.

"Mmm?"

"Time to get up… We have dinner," Horatio told her.

"What time is it?" she asked through a yawn.

"Seven thirty." Of course, it was far later in Miami; either way…they needed to eat.

Calleigh opened her eyes and adjusted the pillow that separated her from Emma. She'd put it there just in case she had felt the need to adjust her sleeping position, so it would be a reminder not to shift too much. Turning to look at Horatio, she smiled. "Where are we going to dinner?" she asked thinking that she'd be fine with room service, too.

"It's a surprise," he told her as he lowered his lips to hers and they brushed and then deepened. He pulled back just slightly and left his lips against hers, "Now, why don't you start getting ready while I take Emma and put her in her crib?" Horatio suggested. He figured that he'd move the crib to the other room so that it would be easier for the girls to all be in the same room, and luckily it would fit through the doorway.

Calleigh smiled against his lips, "I have to change?"

"You don't…have to," he conceded.

"Do you have something in mind?" she asked before taking the chance to steal a kiss. She giggled against his lips when she realized she had stopped him from answering. It wasn't often that they got these precious quiet moments, and Calleigh wanted to take it for all it was worth.

Horatio pulled back farther, so that he could actually speak. "I have something in mind, yes… It's on the top shelf of the closet." When she tilted her head and looked at him curiously, he moved out of the way, sitting on the edge of the bed. He watched her go to the closet before getting up and carefully moving the crib into the adjoining room. When he came back, Calleigh had a large box on the bed, and he just smiled as she looked at him. Instead of supplying answers, he scooped up the sleeping little one and transferred her to the other room before closing the door that joined the two rooms. When she still hadn't opened it, he walked up behind her and snaked his arms up hers until his hands where on hers. "Open it," he prompted as he moved her hands to the edges of the box to pull it open.

Calleigh slowly opened the box to find white tissue paper inside. She started to push the paper aside, but stopped when her fingers brushed material. She stopped when the item came into view, she lifted it carefully looking at it and laying it out. "Horatio, you shouldn't—"

His arms wrapped around her waist and he kissed her neck, "We never get a chance to do anything nice like this…so please accept it," he told her. He knew Calleigh was one who accepted simple things easily, but when it was anything that could be pricey; she didn't think it should be spent on her.

"It's beautiful," she told him. It was a very pale celery green dress that wasn't too long, with spaghetti straps and was layered a bit with sheer material and in the middle a ribbon went around the waist with a bow in front. "I don't have shoes for this… I didn't come prepared for this."

"There's more…"

"Horatio," Calleigh argued turning around. "You don't have to get me these things." Her argument was silenced by his lips on hers. She found herself completely lost in the moment as wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. She could feel his hands under her shirt and feeling the buttons coming undone. When he pulled back from the kiss so they could both breath, Calleigh rested her head on his shoulder and found that he had her shirt open and was working on her pants. "I don't know if…" Calleigh started, but then let her voice trail off. This felt like such a big step for her and she wasn't sure if she was ready.

"It's alright, Sweetheart," he whispered into her ear. "I was just going to change you into your dress," he said before kissing the top of her head. Her laughter made him smile, and he felt a slight pang of guilt when he realized maybe Calleigh thought he was pushing her.

She looked up at him brightly, "A girl has got to have the right bra for these things," Calleigh told him. "I at the very least brought that," she told him. Pulling herself away from him, she picked up the dress, went to the dresser and pulled out what she needed, and then headed to the bathroom.

Horatio sat on the edge of the bed waiting. He would change a bit, but his normal outfit would be perfect for their evening together. He lifted his head when he heard the bathroom door open and he smiled when he saw Calleigh. She was beautiful… The dress fitted her perfectly and fell to just about her knees. "You look beautiful," he told her. Horatio wasn't sure if Calleigh really knew just how beautiful she was, and so sometimes it really was necessary to state the obvious. He held up a pair of shoes that matched the dress.

"How did you know my size?" she asked suspiciously as she took them and sat on the edge of the bed with him to slide them on.

He smiled, "I just knew?" he tried, but knew she'd see right through that.

"I think you enlisted operatives to infiltrate my wardrobe," Calleigh corrected. "Which is sneaky…but really sweet, too." She felt like a princess all dressed up. It wasn't something that she did ever really… Normally, she was in pants and a blouse or a tank top. She smiled brightly thinking about it.

"You like it?" he asked watching her. She looked happy. He loved that. She was radiating it, and it made him feel like this was even more perfect than he had planned.

"Of course I do," she told him laying her head on his shoulder. "I feel like a princess."

He smiled and kissed her hair before getting up and moving to the closet himself to quickly change into a different shirt and jacket. He returned, dressed this time in all black. "Ready?"

Getting up Calleigh nodded and closed the distance between them. "Where are we going?" she tried again.

"It's a surprise."

"I don't even get a hint?"

He chuckled and took her arm in his and led her out of the room. Horatio made sure to tuck his keycard in his pocket.

………………………..

They had walked from the hotel through the Downtown Disney District. It was full of lights and noise at night. It seemed to be just as busy and bustling as it had been during the day. They walked together towards the very end, and Horatio took her down a secluded area past the Downtown Disney District and towards the Disneyland Hotel. When they didn't enter the hotel, as Calleigh had thought they were going to a restaurant, she became even more curious as they passed the building and then went around it. "Where are we?" she finally asked. It was dark, hardly lit, and it didn't seem like it was a place that they should be.

"The garden," he simply responded as they rounded a corner and made it to an area of the garden that was a bit more lit up. It made it seem so different…and with the gazebo at the end of the walkway lit up as well, Horatio knew it was going to be perfect.

"We shouldn't be here. They probably close it after a certain time," Calleigh told him.

He smiled and guided her towards the gazebo. "Tonight, it's all ours…" he told her as they stepped inside of the lit gazebo. There was a table set in the middle with flowers and candles. Plates that were covered and waiting for them. Off to the far side was a small table with other covered dishes, a bucket with a bottle icing, and a wrapped gift.

Calleigh really felt overwhelmed. It was much more than just a dress. It was part of the whole evening…but it was beautiful… She just stood there for a moment in awe. She didn't snap out of it until Horatio guided her to the chair he had pulled out and waited for her to sit down as he pushed it in before lifting the lid to the dinners.

Opening the bottle of champagne, Horatio poured both glasses and then placed it back to stay cool. He sat down opposite her and held and smiled at the still shocked expression on her face. It made him feel like he had done wonderfully on the surprise. "Breathe, Sweetheart," he teased lightly.

"It's just…it's so…so perfect," she finally said. He had used that word to describe her so many times, but Calleigh thought that this moment was truly just that. "And it's wonderful…and definitely a surprise." It really was like being a princess…like being in a fairy tale…

He smiled and then held up his glass and waited for her to do so, too, before toasting. "To us. May this vacation be a way to bring our family together." Their glasses clinked and Horatio watched her drink as he did. It was much more than just bonding that he wanted… Bringing Madison into their family was a big thing, but he knew that Calleigh had already been so accepting that that would not be something to worry about too much… That first day had been so big for them all. He nodded his head to the food, "We better eat before it gets cold," he told her with a smile.

After they finished eating, Horatio and Calleigh moved to one of the benches inside of the gazebo and sat down with their champagne. Horatio had brought the wrapped present and Calleigh had started to wonder if she had forgotten some random anniversary. "Horatio, you've already given me so much."

"This is an old promise," he told her.

Setting her glass down, Calleigh tore open the paper, and stopped when she saw the name on the cover. She laughed, and looked back at him. "Who came up with this?"

"Sheryl," he admitted with a laugh.

The front of the album had a silver plate on it that said 'DuCaine'. "Why isn't it just Caine?" she wondered as she opened the album and stopped stunned on the first page. Baby pictures of Emma when she was first born were there. He had promised her…but she had forgotten and had figured she wouldn't get them.

"Because she says that it's easier than hyphenating the names," Horatio told her. "Plus, it's your life from before we even became close," he told her. He watched her intently as she flipped through pages and then watched as she stopped and fingered the page.

Tears were streaming down her face; she was beyond being shocked at the surprise. There was a picture of her holding Emma as a baby, but instead of Miller beside her it was Horatio. Underneath was a pink bow that was holding a diamond and pink sapphire band. "Where…what…" she started to say quietly.

"For Emma…"

"I don't think it'll fit her finger," Calleigh commented as she laughed through her tears.

He smiled, "It's for you…but the pink…is for Emma."

She looked up at him a bit confused, but when he took the ring off and simply placed it on her right ring finger, Calleigh looked down at it. It was beautiful, but she wasn't really sure what to think of why he was suddenly giving it to her. "Where did you…how did you put you into the picture?" she asked looking at it. She loved it, she really did, but she was still curious.

"The lab… They manipulated the photo," Horatio admitted.

Calleigh smiled and then turned the page. Pictures of the team made her smile, old ones and new ones… "Aww Tim…" she whispered seeing him hugging her in one of the pictures. They had been fooling around, but she couldn't remember why Tim Speedle was hugging her. At the top of the page she noticed it said 'Family', and Calleigh knew it was the truth. They had been their family for so long…and they still were. Flipping the page, she found pictures of when she had first gotten back and everyone was visiting with Emma. Underneath Eric's picture with Emma it said 'Uncle Eric' and Calleigh smiled brightly at that. It was all so wonderful. Pieces of her life that were precious…that Horatio had made more precious…

"Now, the rest of the book isn't finished…" he told her. "It can still be expanded…" He reached out and flipped the last page over. "And I was hoping…that those pages…would be our life…together."

Looking at the page, Calleigh stared at it in shock. They had talked about marriage and how they'd get to it one day. But here he was proposing it. 'Will you marry me?' was written taking up the whole page. At the bottom was a white ribbon holding a diamond etched band. Tears streamed down her face again and she watched as Horatio slipped off of the bench to his knee.

"Calleigh, will you marry me?" he asked taking her hand. He had been waiting so long for the perfect moment…and it had turned into something so much more.

Nodding her head, Calleigh tried to wipe the tears away. "Yes," she finally managed to get out just barely. She watched as he removed the ring from the album and placed it on her left hand's ring finger. She studied it for a moment, it was beautiful and elegant and she loved it.

"And then…this one," he said as he took the ring from her right hand and shifted it to join the engagement ring. "Goes here…" he told her as he looked up into her face.

Reaching out, Calleigh gently pulled his head to hers, so that their lips could meet. She melted against him. Happiness she couldn't describe filled her. All the places that had felt cold and empty…felt warmed and filled… Things seemed so much brighter…and Calleigh knew that their life together was going to be wonderful…

…………………………….

TBC…


	9. Perfection

**Title:** Love's Burden

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** Sequel to "Two Lives". When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance

**Characters:** Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne

**Warnings:** none

**Rating:** PG

**Chapter:** 9 "Perfection"

Author's Notes: Check out the CSI RPG that I'm getting ready to start up! Want to join? Check out the message board

http://csitacoma (dot) proboards54 (dot) com/

I also wanted to just let all know that I do appreciate the comments, but I have had to change the settings for my stories so that I no longer accept anonymous commenting after someone blantingly flamed a story with no real reason (because they thought something happened that didn't) and didn't even give me the chance to reply to it. Fanfiction(dot)net only allows authors to only respond to signed comments.

……………………………………………

Calleigh smiled, she was simply glowing as she stared at her ring on her hand as she laid there in bed. The night before had been the most beautiful night of her life…and she felt like her life was getting better and better. Horatio finally seemed to be taking their family as a priority…and Calleigh loved it. His arms were around her, and she couldn't remember feeling safer…so loved. She continued to stare at the two rings…each symbolizing something unique in their lives…their life together and their daughter… The gems were sparkling in the light that had splashed in through the curtains…

They had snuck back into their room the night before and had just had a quiet, peaceful night together. It had been extraordinary…even if it had been nothing too special. They had had strawberries and more champagne to celebrate…Calleigh wasn't used to the alcohol, but it had helped her sleep through the night. She was sure that without it, she would have been up all night staring at her hand in the dark. Her life was definitely changing…for the better…and Calleigh just hoped things would continue.

"I love you," Horatio whispered as he tightened his grip on her. His face nestled in her hair, smelling the wonderful fragrance coming from it. He didn't want to move. The memory of the night before had been re-running through his head all through the night, and had brought a smile to his face. He opened his eyes and saw her hand held up and the sun dancing off of it.

Smiling, she turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck and leaned in kissing him. As she pulled away from him, she smiled even brighter, "Mmm I love you, too…" Giggling, she leaned in as he did for another kiss. The passion there was more than they'd experienced in the past. It was something special…better…it was so much more than just love…it felt like a higher level of that…

He held her close and tucked her head under his chin, running his hands up and down her back, loving the feeling of their skin touching as the arms rubbed against each other and their legs. It was limited touching…but Horatio enjoyed every minute of it… It was just a small way for them to be close…and now everything seemed so much more special. "They're quiet," he whispered with a smile. He hadn't wanted to bring attention back to reality…cloud nine was much more comfortable…but they had girls that he'd promised them that that day they'd be able to fully and freely enjoy the parks together…everything…including the fireworks display at the end of the night.

"They're being nice," Calleigh told him before placing a kiss gently to his lips. She didn't want that morning to end…though she knew it was destined to… There was no way that they could get around hiding out in the bedroom all day.

"They gave up all the nighttime parades and fireworks for us last night," Horatio pointed out. He craned his head and kissed her forehead. "We owe them a full day of activities…"

Calleigh smiled, "We have great girls, don't we?" she said brightly.

"We really do."

"I miss Emma…it feels like forever since I got to hold her…" Calleigh whispered as she stared at Horatio. She knew they had a completely different relationship than others had…she and Horatio had a little girl together…and Emma took the top slot as far as priority went… Horatio knew that, and she was happy that he had put Emma and their family first. She knew that now, their family was going to be perfect…even with Madison and Sheryl… Madison seemed to blend into their family perfectly once they had made her feel more comfortable, and Sheryl had made herself part of the family without them even knowing. Calleigh thought it was perfect for them.

Horatio leaned in kissing her before starting to sit up and placing a kiss to Calleigh's forehead. "Why don't we go and see the girls? Maybe have an early lunch at the Rainforest Café in Downtown Disney…Madison and even Sheryl thought it looked like fun." He pulled her with him and heard her whimper slightly. They'd have their time…he knew that when they were up in the mountains that they'd be able to sleep in all day if they wanted to. Once she was sitting up, he searched around for a pair of pants, and watched as Calleigh did the same. They'd graduated from sleeping in full pajamas to just a t-shirt and boxers for him and a tank top and panties for Calleigh. Horatio, of course, wasn't complaining, he'd learned to just make sure his pajama bottoms were close by so he'd be covered in case Sheryl was early to the house…being there wasn't any different.

Grabbing her pink pajama knit bottoms; she threaded her legs through and pulled them up. "Alright…girls now…us later…" she said trying to pretend to be annoyed with it, but couldn't keep back the smile that had crept to her face.

"We have all our lives for us now," he pointed out as he rounded the bed and joined Calleigh as they both headed for the door that joined the two rooms together.

……………………………..

The morning had gone along smoothly. They had eaten before they had emerged into the crowded Disneyland Park, which he was sure everyone was happy about. As they waited in what Horatio thought was an absurdly long line for a child's ride, he watched as a father started to hassle the ride attendant. The man was complaining about the wait, and Horatio tilted his sunglasses and watched as the man continued. Everyone else seemed to have no problem waiting…he had seen other rides that had longer lines… He looked down at Madison who was excitedly waiting for the carousel ride. Looking around to the other children, they all looked the same. When he saw the man opening his mouth again, he stepped forward and cut him off, "I think you should pay attention to your daughter, and leave the attendant alone."

Calleigh turned and saw Horatio confronting the man and let out a small sigh, he couldn't give up protecting the people…even if it included people in another state… She scooped up Emma, not wanting her to get stepped on in case there were any problems, and stayed back with Sheryl and looked down at Madison. If she needed to get involved, she would, but she'd let Horatio handle it until then.

"I'm not talking to you!"

"You are now," Horatio said placing his hands on his hips. He stared at the man, "You're going to stay quiet and wait until it's your daughter's turn…and…you're going to apologize to the lady for being so rude."

"Who do you think you are?! Park polite police?"

He smiled a bit and let out a laugh. Though he wasn't in Miami and he was on vacation, it was hard to pull from his norm of his slacks, button up shirt, jacket…and badge. He flashed it, figuring the man wouldn't be able to see that he technically didn't have jurisdiction in California. "Not exactly…" When the man suddenly went quiet and turned around, Horatio smiled and then turned to Calleigh to see the smirk on her face. When the next group entered the carousel area, Horatio cleared his throat. He watched as the man looked back at him and then he quietly apologized to the attendant.

"Can't let go?" Calleigh asked quietly as they entered the area to wait to be the next group onto the carousel.

"How much longer could you have listened to him?" Horatio challenged with a smile.

"Not much longer," she admitted with a smile.

"Is it our turn, yet?" Madison asked looking up at Horatio. She was so excited about their day. They had pretty much covered a good amount of the park the day before…but she loved carousels… She had ridden it the day before, and she felt like a princess…she was just missing the crown.

"Almost," Horatio told her with a smile.

"You're gonna ride a pony today, too, right?" she asked with a smile. She had tried to get her uncle to ride the carousel the day before, but that hadn't gone over very well…and he had ended up just standing and watching. Sheryl had gotten on a horse, Calleigh had stood next to Emma while she rode, and Madison had gotten her own horse… Why wouldn't he ride, too? "Please?"

Horatio sighed and looked over to see Sheryl and Calleigh smiling, too. "I think I'm too big…" He looked down and then looked back over at Madison, "This one time." The minute he saw his niece's eyes light up, he knew it was definitely worth it. As the gate opened, he followed Madison, Sheryl, and Calleigh. He watched as Sheryl quickly found an empty orange decorated white horse, and then Calleigh put Emma on one next to Sheryl and started to buckle their daughter in place. He felt a tug on his hand and looked down to see Madison had found two for them. Smiling, he gave in and followed Madison and got up on his horse as Madison got up on hers.

The carousel lasted only about two minutes, but Horatio did enjoy it. He got to see Madison laugh and her whole face brighten. Getting off his horse, he helped Madison down, "So, why do you like this ride so much?" he asked as they headed for the exit behind Calleigh and Sheryl.

"I get to feel like a princess," she told him with a smile. Madison hadn't been on a real horse before, but the carousel was a nice compromise.

"Perhaps," Horatio said holding her hand as they exited and he headed off while Sheryl and Calleigh went on a search for the stroller. They had been in the shops in the castle the day before and Horatio had watched as Madison had played with the sparkling tiaras there, but when he had asked her if she had wanted something she had told him no. A crown for Madison seemed like the best way to complete her feeling of being a princess. He led her in and over to the counter where the tiaras were sorted in plastic clear bins by color and style. "We should make you into a princess…" he said and tried to find a tiara that was perfect for Madison.

She giggled, "Do we all get crowns?" she asked as she looked over the selection. She knew which one she liked the day before, but she wanted to make sure that that was the one she really wanted.

He smiled, "That one, I am definitely staying out of."

"But what about Calleigh and Sheryl and Emma?" she asked.

"I don't think these will fit Emma very well," Horatio pointed out and motioned to the metal combs the tiaras were attached to. "And I don't know which one they would like."

"We could ask them…"

Horatio was about to respond to that when he saw that they'd been found, and so had the stroller. "There you are…we were just talking about you."

Calleigh smiled, "What are we up to?"

"Uncle Horatio says I can be a princess," Madison said proudly. "I told him we should all be princesses together and have crowns…but you need to pick which one you want."

Calleigh smiled, "That's nice… I think you and Sheryl should be princesses…"

"Only if I get to be a pirate princess," Sheryl spoke up.

"I want you to have one, too," Madison said holding out a diamond-looking crown that had a heart in the middle for Calleigh. "Look, this one matches your one ring," she said. She was excited about her uncle getting married…and more so that it meant that she got to be in it.

"I think it's a great idea," Horatio said as he took the tiara from Madison's hand and placed it on Calleigh's head before leaning in and kissing her. "I think it's more like queen rather than princess," he said against his lips.

Calleigh giggled, "Queen, huh?" She pulled back and saw that Madison was trying to hide a giggle. Apparently them being so open was odd to the girls, but something Calleigh thought they'd get used to it though. "I suppose we could all act like royalty…"

"You've always liked American royalty…this'll sort of be close," Horatio teased.

She smiled at him and then looked down at Madison as she held onto the tiara, "Good pick. Now, which one are you gonna get?" she asked as she moved to get a better look at them. "How about this one?" Calleigh asked holding up one with diamond-looking and purple sparkling gems in it. She thought it would look pretty with Madison's bright hair.

Madison took it and looked it over, before she smiled and looked right at Calleigh. "I think it's great!" Looking over, she saw that Sheryl was looking through the tiaras, too. "Did you find one?"

Holding up a pirate crown that had black and red gems and in the center was a skull and crossbones, she smiled. "I have found the pirate crown…" Sheryl proclaimed happily.

"Alright, Ladies," Horatio said and headed with them to the counter and had it all paid for. Since the shop was busy, he suggested that they manage the crowns outside. And outside they went through a small little side tunnel taking them to the side of the castle. He pushed the stroller along and watched as Sheryl hurried to get Madison to a bench ahead and started to arrange her hair. He looked over to Calleigh, who was standing next to him, "Aren't you going to put yours on now, too?"

Calleigh smiled a bit shyly, "Maybe later… Let the girls have their fun now…" She watched as Sheryl arranged Madison's hair and put the tiara in and then arranged her own. "I promise I'll wear mine later…"

"How does it look?" Madison asked as she bound over to her uncle and Calleigh. She spun around to give them the full affect of the crown. It was also nice because Sheryl had piled all of her scarlet curls up on her head, so she didn't feel so hot.

"You look just like a princess," Horatio told her and then leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Where are we off to next?"

"It's Sheryl's turn to pick a place," Madison told him. "She's going to choose Pirates of the Caribbean, because she likes pirates. Her computer even has a pirate ship on the screen."

Horatio smiled, "Alright…you ladies lead the way," he told her as he straightened up and put his arm around Calleigh and pushed Emma's stroller along with his other hand.

………………………………………

TBC…


	10. Favorite Things

**Title:** Love's Burden

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** Sequel to "Two Lives". When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.

**Category: **Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

**Genres:** Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance

**Characters:** Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne

**Warnings:** none

**Rating:** PG

**Chapter:** 10 "Favorite Things"

**Author's Notes:** This is the final chapter of "Love's Burden", though there will eventually be another story in this series…though this series still needs a name…I suppose I shall just have to contemplate it! So, the story doesn't end here ;)

Check out the CSI RPG that I'm getting ready to start up! Want to join? Check out the message board

http://csitacoma(dot)proboards54(dot)com/

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The happiness of his girls in California had been accomplished, and Horatio smiled as he looked over the proof of it. On the last day, they had bumped into a photographer who had given them a plastic card that they were able to use all day at any photographer in the parks that uploaded the photos online. And now…he was finally looking over those that had been taken. They had come out exceptionally wonderfully… It had captured more than just their trip, and his happy girls…it had also captured their engagement. Madison had informed one of the photographers when they were at the castle and she just had to get in photos of him and Calleigh and the ring. His favorite picture by far was of his girls in tiaras outside Cinderella's castle. Sheryl was sitting on the ledge while Calleigh stood, and Madison was between the two of them. He wasn't sure if it was the happiness in the picture of the fact that it looked just like a family. Emma was in other pictures and Horatio had picked his favorites of those as well…and had already started to go through and order which ones he wanted sent to the house.

"What're up to, Handsome?" Calleigh asked as she leaned from her chair to look at the laptop screen. They were in the airport waiting, and though it was getting close to boarding at LAX, it wasn't quite time for the pre-boarding since they had Emma. Madison and Sheryl were down a couple seats from them talking and talking about a book on pirates that had been bought at the park. Emma was in her stroller in front of them sleeping soundly in the noisy airport.

Bringing up the thumbnails in the album, he started with the first one before showing Calleigh all the pictures, "Reviewing yesterday," Horatio admitted with a smile as he reached out and took her hand in his. He watched as she smiled just like he had… He loved to see that they were all finally settling in…and the stress and worry was gone… He felt better even, he didn't feel the need to go back to Miami and find Suzie. Madison was happy with them, and had easily slipped in as an addition to their family. Moving his hand from hers to her back, he pulled her closer before placing a kiss on her forehead, "I love you."

"Love you more."

((Pre-boarding call for flight to Tacoma, Washington. Please proceed to the gate. All other parties for this flight, we will begin boarding shortly.))

"That's us!" Sheryl announced as she and Madison bounded back over to where the stroller was.

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The cool air kissed her face as she sat on the steps of their cabin. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself, and stared out at the pine trees all around them. It definitely wasn't Miami…or New Orleans…but it was beautiful and peaceful. Calleigh loved it there easily… The city wasn't something that she felt she needed, she had everything she needed in the cabin. Her family was there, and that was really all that she needed… Emma was already asleep and Sheryl and Madison had been settling in before she had gone outside. Horatio had been checking to make sure that everything seemed in place, but had promised to join her outside soon.

The sound of the wooden door closing alerting her to Horatio's presence, she could feel his weight as he settled down behind her, his legs on either side of her and his arms snaking around her waist. A kiss was pressed to the side of her head before his chin rested on her shoulder. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Like heaven," he whispered. "It feels perfect…" He pulled her as close as he could and smiled. He loved being able to have her close like that without her feeling uncomfortable. Their plans for the future seemed to be falling perfectly in place and Horatio couldn't think of how he could change anything more for the better. He and Calleigh were engaged…and his daughter was healthy. Although his niece's family situation wasn't great, he was happy that she was with them and doing quite well. And Sheryl…as always…was Sheryl.

Calleigh turned around a bit awkwardly in his arms and kneeled on the steps instead of sitting. "Horatio, have you thought about when you want to get married?" She knew that it was something that usually was left off for a while before discussing it, but she felt like it would just help their lives if they set plans in motion. Plus, it meant that she'd need to start planning things, and she had never planned a wedding before.

"Anytime sounds perfect to me."

She smiled and let her head fall into the crook of his neck, "I suppose…we'll have to decide on what kind of weddin' we want…"

"I prefer small and simple, but that's just me," Horatio told her. Of course, the last wedding he had been had been to Marisol and it had been at city hall. He expected that Calleigh would actually want to have more of a tradition ceremony, which would be nice… He and Marisol had done their wedding like that because that was the only way they'd be married…neither had the time for anything more. But now, Horatio was committed to his family, and he was determined to make life beautiful for Calleigh…and that included the wedding she wanted.

"Small and simple sound nice," she whispered as she closed her eyes. "Family and friends? Nothin' insane…no cousins' cousins' grandkids or any obscure family members. I want us to know who every person is at our weddin'." Of course, she wasn't sure how well that would work with her family. Her father was easily accessed in Miami, but her mother and brothers were in Louisiana, and she wasn't sure if everyone would be able to play nicely together for her big day.

"There's always eloping," he teased.

Laughing lightly, Calleigh breathed into his bare skin, "Temptin'."

"I'm only kidding…" he amended. "I want you to have whatever you want for this wedding… And whenever we can get things together to have the wedding, sounds like the perfect time to me."

"I need Madison," Calleigh told him as she pulled back to look at him, "I think she'd make a lovely junior bridesmaid."

He smiled and kissed her lightly, "Who's going to be the flower girl?"

"Emma?"

As if on cue, cries from the house made it to their ears. He sighed, "I'll go check on her." He was enjoying their moment out there and hated to let it go, but also wanted to make sure his baby girl was alright.

"No, we can both go. It's pretty chilly out here…" Calleigh told him returning his kiss quickly as her eyes twinkled before she got to her feet. She gripped the edges of the blanket tighter as she made sure she had it up off the group before heading up the stairs with him and into the cabin.

The cabin was a two bedroom, and like at the hotel they shared their room with Emma. Emma had woken up upset, probably because no one was there and it was dark…and refused to go back to sleep in her crib. So, instead, Calleigh and Horatio took her to bed with them. The toddler rested between them, but slowly made her way so that she was laying her on father's chest with her thumb in her mouth.

"I think she just wanted her daddy," Calleigh commented with a smile through the dark. She had an idea it could be from the teething combined with the fact that they'd left her in a room alone. "I love you," she told Horatio as she leaned in and kissed him deeply for a minute before placing a quick kiss on Emma's forehead.

"Love you," Horatio responded.

"Lobe Dada," Emma whispered in the dark.

…………………………………..

The End


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